High stakes for Union in U.S. Open Cup match

Take the MLS standings, and trash them. Take the Union's long odds to return to the playoffs, and forget about them.

All that matters, should you ask Union coaches and players, is the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Including tonight's semifinal tilt with Sporting Kansas City, the Union are two victories removed from a major trophy.

Kinda renders that lousy regular-season record moot, doesn't it?

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"Right now, our goal has to be to win the Open Cup because that's the most impressive tournament," Union interim manager John Hackworth said. "I think that tournament is extremely prestigious. I don't know if the normal fan thinks that way, but its history dates to 1914 that it started in this country. That's amazing. For a third-year club to be in position to win that thing is pretty amazing, so we have to put the emphasis on that, for sure."

The Union won a bid to host Sporting KC, so the match kicks off 7:30 tonight at PPL Park.

Hackworth's club thrashed SKC, 4-0, last month in a regular-season match. Though the stakes have changed, SKC's feelings haven't.

"I don't think we need much motivation going back up there," SKC defender Matt Besler told the Kansas City Star. "Like I said before, we got embarrassed ... and the stakes are going to be high next time we go up there. I think we're going to be ready."

Sporting, which blazed into the MLS slate with seven consecutive victories, has cooled off. KC defeated the Dayton Dutch Lions, a USL Pro Division club, to reach tonight's semifinal match. But like the Union, coach Peter Vermes' club is at a different stage in the league schedule.

Hackworth doesn't think that matters.

"We have one of the best teams in the league coming back here again," he said.

The Union's progress, meanwhile, has been somewhat of a surprise. They throttled USL opponent Rochester in the third round, went on the road for the fourth round and knocked off D.C. United in extra time, then took down their minor-league affiliate Harrisburg in the quarterfinals.

Hackworth's team had never won in Open Cup competition, so stringing together three straight wins has caught some by surprise --- but not the Union.

"We're two games away from our first silverware," striker Jack McInerney said. "Our goal has been to win the Cup since we had that rough start to the season. Obviously we want to win games in the season, too, but we're two games away from our first silverware. It can't get any better than that."

Added midfielder Amobi Okugo: "We want to get the trophy. The semifinals are good, but it's not good enough. We want to give the silverware to the fanbase, to the organization, for them putting their trust in us."